Transitional fracture of the distal radius: A rare injury in adolescent athletes. Case series and literature review

Abstract

Background: Transitional fractures are fractures in adolescents where partial closure of the epiphyseal growth plate has occurred. These fractures are most commonly reported in the distal tibia. With respect to the distal radius, only a few case reports describing transitional fractures exist. Furthermore, relatively little is known about epiphyseal closure of the distal radius. A case series of four transitional fractures of the distal radius is presented by comparing non-operative and operative treatment options. At present, this is the largest case series in the literature dealing with this rare injury. Case presentation: We present three cases of four transitional fractures of the distal radius including 1-year follow-up. Patient age ranged from 16 to 18 years including a gender ratio of two males to one female. Clinical and radiographic assessments took place 6 and 12 weeks and 1 year after trauma/surgery. Three transitional fractures were treated with open reduction and internal volar plate fixation followed by functional rehabilitation. One transitional fracture was treated non-operatively. All cases showed an excellent functional outcome. Conclusions: The primary treatment goal in transitional fractures is anatomic reduction of the articular surface. Non-operative treatment of transitional fractures of the distal radius is the most commonly reported treatment option. Additionally, different fixation options have been described, including the use of Kirschner wires (K-wires) and lag screws. The presented cases demonstrate that volar plate fixation followed by functional rehabilitation is a valuable treatment option in significantly displaced transitional fractures of the distal radius. Furthermore, we discuss the pathogenesis as well as the different treatment options by critical reviewing the literature.